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Summary
Hajara Muhammad is a mother displaced by conflict in northern Nigeria. She fights to survive on the streets while grappling with poverty, loss, and displacement in Lagos with her children. Her story sheds light on Nigeria’s larger crisis of internal displacement, poverty, and the resilience of families caught in these harsh realities.
Hajara Muhammad, a 30-year-old mother, sits on a bustling corner of Lagos. Her children, Aisha, 10; Umar, 8; and Zainab, 2, are gathered around her. Far from their northern home, she watches the crowd drift by as they beg together, struggling to survive.
Hajara’s story is shaped by both hardship and strength. Her husband was killed in a conflict in their village in the north, leaving her with no choice but to flee with her children to Lagos to seek refuge.
“I had no choice but to bring my children to the streets,” she says softly to BONews reporter Enioluwa Gloria.
Passersby sometimes ignore them or cast silent judgments on Hajara and her children. But Hajara’s resolve is as firm as the concrete beneath her feet. “My children’s future is my only concern,” she says with a fierce determination.
Aisha, her eldest daughter understands their plight and wears her own quiet strength. She watches over her siblings, mindful of every move, every gesture. “Mama works hard,” she says, looking down at her little sister Zainab. “We help her because we love her.”
Umar and Zainab, though young, understand their harsh realities. “We beg so we can eat,” Umar explains.
Their family is one of millions in Nigeria uprooted by conflict and economic hardship, casualties of an internal displacement crisis.
“We need support, not sympathy,” Hajara emphasises.
Hajara’s story stirs empathy and even a call to action.
“Seeing Hajara and her children together, struggling, breaks my heart,” says Jummai Ibrahim, a local community volunteer. “We must address displacement’s root causes.”
Hajara’s story exposes Nigeria’s social fault lines: poverty, displacement, and limited opportunities.
Despite hardships, Hajara’s family remains united. “We’re all we have,” she says.
As night falls, they pack up their makeshift begging station and head to their cramped, rented room. Tomorrow will bring another day of struggle, but Hajara’s determination remains unwavering.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to give my children a better life,” she says, her eyes shining with resilience.
Hajara’s story is a reminder of Nigeria’s social fault lines that involves the persistent shadows of poverty, displacement, and a limited safety net for those who fall through the cracks. But even in this hardship, her family remains united.
“We’re all we have,” she says.
As the night falls in Lagos, Hajara and her children pack up their meager belongings, heading back to their cramped room that has become their temporary refuge. Tomorrow will bring another day of struggles but Hajara’s heart beats with an unwavering rhythm of determination.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to give my children a better life,” she says, her eyes shining with resilience.
Editor’s note: MSc Student of Mass Communication (2023/2024) Enioluwa Gloria produced this story following BONews Service publisher Blessing Oladunjoye’s training on Disability Reporting.
